Junior Faculty Scholars
The YCCI Junior Faculty Scholars Program began in 2006 as the educational arm of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation. The mission remains to attract a diverse group of highly talented junior faculty across multiple disciplines in the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Biomedical Engineering who are interested in pursuing careers in any aspect (T1-T4) of translational research: to imbue them with a spirit of discovery; to train them in the use of state-of-the-art research tools; to give them the skills to work in complex and diverse multidisciplinary research teams; and to support their professional development.
This Program has been highly successful, attracting to date 214 Scholars who have successfully competed for more than 500 NIH awards and of whom 99% have gone on to positions in academia or industry after completion of the Program. Going forward we seek to build on this exciting success in developing the next generation of translational researchers by promoting our core strengths of strong mentor/mentee relationships, outstanding learning opportunities, and strong programs for career development while simultaneously encouraging even greater numbers of this diverse group of Scholars to participate in multidisciplinary team science, community-based participatory research, and industry-academia partnering.
Scholars regularly present their work at bimonthly Research in Progress meetings with students from the Investigative Medicine Program and participate in the YCCI Clinical Scholars' Research Day, where they have an opportunity to make formal presentations to their peers and to faculty across the institution, allowing a broad interchange and providing valuable experience for presentations at national meetings. All the program's components are designed to create an environment that encourages cross-fertilization and multidisciplinary approaches and maximizes the likelihood of successful careers in clinical and translational research.
Master of Health Science Research Program
In 2009, YCCI launched the Master of Health Science Research program specifically designed for junior faculty Scholars. Since the program was launched 8 Scholars have matriculated into the program and 6 scholars have completed it and been awarded their degree. It is required for those who receive 75 percent salary support from the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) and who do not already hold an advanced degree in a field related to clinical or translational science. Required courses include Introduction to Biostatistics, Principles of Clinical Research and Ethical and Practical Issues in Clinical Investigation. In addition, students are required to take at least one elective in clinical and translational informatics, drug development or grant writing. Additional electives that relate to the Scholar’s research can also be incorporated into the program.
Scholars meet periodically with a mentoring committee composed of their primary mentor, a second member chosen by the Scholar with the approval of the co-directors of education, and a third member from a list of senior investigators. Scholars are also required to produce a manuscript based on their original research that is suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
YCCI Scholar Awards
We are pleased to announce a request for applications for the YCCI Scholar Awards and Yale Physician-Scientist Development Awards, which provide salary and/or research funds to a select number of junior faculty members who are strongly committed to research careers focused on improving human health. The YCCI Scholar program and YPSD Award are open to all applicants training and conducting research across the full span (T0-T4) of basic, clinical, translational, and community-based research focused on human health. Individuals must be nominated by a department chair, division head/section chief, or center/program director. The primary aim of these awards is to prepare the applicant for a successful independent research career, so career development and mentoring plans are very important. Awards will be for a total of two years. Funds may be requested to cover up to 75% of an individual’s salary (with a maximum of $120,000 per year, including fringe benefits) and up to $25,000 of research support per year. Applicants who already have a career development award or who are the Principal Investigator on an award that includes direct costs of =$200,000/year for two or more years are not eligible for salary support but may apply for up to $25,000 in research support per year (the specific aims of this additional research support must be different from the specific aims of the career development award, though they can be related). Applicants who have substantial start-up funds may not be eligible for salary support; this will be determined at the time of the award.
Research in Progress Online Lectures
This series has been an important component of the Scholars program by providing a forum for research presentations by Scholars.
The conference, which meets biweekly, includes not only the KL2 Scholars but also TL1 Trainees, PhD students, and junior and senior faculty members.
The Research in Progress presentations occur the second Tuesday and fourth Monday of the month at noon in TAC N203 (unless otherwise noted).
Besides providing useful feedback on research projects, the seminars serve as a forum for scholars to learn what others are doing and to develop collaborations. Selected talks are given by invited speakers from within and outside Yale on topics of importance to the Scholars. The talks are video-taped and placed on-line for Scholars who are unable to attend. In addition, Program leaders use this forum to present information about the many resources available to Scholars through the CTSA to help them in their research. This seminar series has also been important for developing a sense of community among trainees from all of the YCCI training programs.